Physical limitations can be frustrating for many people. My grandmother Vickers passed away in the year 2000. For years, she had rheumatoid arthritis and had numerous operations on her hands, feet and other joints in her body. Even with her pain and limitations, she could still make me a cheeseburger on a Friday night or do cross-stitching to help her dexterity. We can get frustrated by the restrictions of age or maybe a chronic illness. Perhaps someone must care regularly for a child who has MS or for a spouse in need of care. Or, maybe we know someone who is bedridden or shut in and cannot serve the way he or she would like to serve. Yet, we can use those limitations for growth, no matter what others may say or think about us. In Matthew 6, Jesus continued the Sermon on the Mount by giving principles for spiritual living by giving to the needy (1-4), an example for our prayers (5-15) and fasting (16-18). Jesus mentioned in Matthew 6:18, “and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Think about how our limitations can be used to God’s glory and honor. They help separate us from the notion of having to be seen or heard by those around us. If we give charitably, pray or fast to let others see how religious we are, then we have done nothing, and we will not have God’s blessing. We cannot concentrate on ourselves instead of on God and

Some years ago, I visited with a family that had two dogs. One was a boxer, and the other was a Pekingese. They both loved attention and scratches on the head. On that day, I scratched the head of the smaller Pekingese, and while that was going on, the boxer decided to nudge her head and knock my hand off of the smaller dog so she could get the same amount of scratching and love. Needless to say, the Pekingese was jealous of this and began to bark in protest. I have often wondered who was more jealous of the attention. This humorous story reminds me that when it comes to our pets, jealousy can be light-hearted and fun to watch. In human beings, it leads to a whole lot of trouble. There is also a jealousy that reflects the heart of our God as we are told by Moses and Paul. In Exodus 34:14, we read, “For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Paul penned, “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). This divine or “godly jealousy” about which Paul wrote was sincere in that the Corinthians were always in danger of losing their spiritual purity and being “led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). God told Moses when He gave the

Isidor Isaac Rabi, one of America’s outstanding physicists, became a scientist for one overpowering reason. He said, “I couldn’t help it.” Brought to this country as an infant, he has never forgotten his mother’s daily query when he came home from public school on Manhattan’s Lower East Side: “Did you ask any good questions today?” Some questions are good to ask, but others are not and can be untimely. Take for example, the account of Jesus healing a man born blind in John 9:1-12. We read in verses 1-2, “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” Other questions appear in this account, too. In verse 8 we read, “The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?” In verse 10, “Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?” However, among all of these questions came one that stands out, and it is one that many people ask about the Savior today: “Then said they unto him, Where is he?” (v. 12). It amazes us how the people were focused on such questions. Yet, the one question in verse 12 is one of worthy consideration. A good answer would be the statement that Paul made in Acts 17:27, where Luke recorded, “That they should seek the Lord, if haply

Tom Olson told his story about how he learned to love the Lord. He stated: One morning as I was going to work, I was thinking of the words, “Simon, son of Jonas, love thou me?” and wished with all my heart that I could answer them as Peter did. I felt sad that I could not. Then this thought came to me. “Well, if I cannot say so much as Peter, perhaps I could turn it around a little and find something easier.” So, I began to think that there was one thing I could not say. I could not say, “Lord, Thou knowest that I do not love Thee.” I found some comfort in that. At last, I grew bold enough to look up and say, “Lord, Thou knowest that I want to love Thee.” Then, I began to think of His great love for me. I thought of His life, of His words and of His cross. Almost before I knew what I was doing, I looked up and said, “Thou knowest that I do love Thee!” At that moment, my heart became lighter and my life had more meaning. In John 21:15-17, Jesus asked three times the question “Lovest thou Me?” to Peter. Peter must have wondered why Jesus would ask Him this several times. It is possible that Jesus asked three times to parallel the denial of Peter three times. Peter answered the first two times with patience, “Yea, Lord: thou knowest that I love

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, which was built in 1961, came down, and people could now cross from East to West Berlin and do it freely. The entire wall was demolished in 1990, signaling the end of the Cold War. In Ephesians 2:15, Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” The allusion is to the “wall of partition” which separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:31, 35). The Lord removed that wall of separation between Jew and Gentile so that souls from all races and nations may come into the kingdom and be one in Christ. In other words, that wall was destroyed or demolished. This barrier no longer exists. Christ provided a great commonness for all mankind. All men have the same God, the same Christ, the same salvation and the same hope (Ephesians 4:4-6). Many first century churches were affected by ethnic issues (Acts 15; Galatians 2:11-21; Romans 3:20-31; Colossians 2:11-17; Philippians 3:2-11; 1 Timothy 2:3-7). It is true that Israel was the chosen nation through whom the Savior was to come, and therefore, its people were at an advantage due to special providence and revelation in connection with promises. God had chosen Abraham’s seed, because of Abraham’s faith, to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6; Acts 13:47; 26:23). The demand of Scripture is that

When we speak of wanting peace, we often feel as if there can be no peace in this old world. We think back to the time of Adam and Eve when peace on earth was a reality. However, sin took away that peace, and in its wake was conflict, sadness and death. It seems today that we have very little peace in this world—in families, communities, churches and between the nations. In Isaiah 9:6, the Old Testament mentions the Messiah who is the “Prince of Peace.” A prince is a son of a king. Jesus was the Son of the Almighty King of all creation. He is expected to lead in government. We rejoice today because Jesus has assumed such leadership over the new spiritual kingdom, the church. Burton Coffman mentioned concerning this verse, “Jesus Christ is the only true Prince of Peace the world ever knew, and the only one that shall ever be” (Coffman, Isaiah, 97). Jesus came to rid the world of sin and spiritual sickness. Jesus came to make peace for us with the Father. Colossians 1:20 states, “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” The cross was the greatest example of self-sacrifice in history. Sin and rebellion separated man from God. To reconcile man to God, a perfectly obedient man had to be sacrificed to make possible the cancellation of the sins

The ancient Egyptians believed that a flat world rested on four pillars of stone. The ancient Hindus believed that a flat world rested on the back of a huge elephant. The elephant stood on the back of an enormous turtle, and the turtle stood on an immense coiled snake! Such “flights of fancy” are, at best, man’s imagination. Moses, though, was different. By inspiration of God, Moses (who was educated in Egyptian schools) wrote the creation account in Genesis. He gave us the true, God-breathed account in words of simplicity, matchless beauty and exquisite accuracy. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” (Adapted from Fred J. Meldan) However, such a true statement might have a puzzling question with it. “What was going on before the creation of the heaven and earth?” Some young child may ask this, and perhaps we have pondered this ourselves. Evolutionists will tell us all sorts of theories and ideas about the universe and how it was created. Yet, the truth of God’s precious Word reveals to us what was really happening. The Lord stated in John 17:5, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Proverbs 8:23 states, “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.” From 2 Timothy 1:9 we read, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to

Perhaps you are familiar with the following Bible names: Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas and Nymphas. Some may be more familiar to us than others. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote these names toward the end of that book. We find them in Chapter 4. It’s like a roll call of Christians. Tychicus was from Asia Minor (Colossians 4:7) and Onesimus became a Christian when he met Paul in prison (Colossians 4:9). We have Aristarchus, Mark and Justus who were Jewish believers (vv. 10-11). Epaphras, Luke the doctor and Demas were Gentile Christians (vv. 12-14). We also have Nymphas (v. 15) who provided a home in which the church could gather. These folks obviously meant so much to Paul and his work that he included them in the epistle. Most of these were not very well known. Their names appear for a brief moment in history, and then, they vanish away. They played a part in the spread of Christianity, and then, stepped to the side, just like we will do. Yet, there is a reason that God chose to place these saints in His Word. The names represent great variety. Have you considered that? With His church, the Lord likes diversity. Social clubs usually are comprised of folks like each other, those people with similar interests and ambitions. However, God’s church is diverse. God takes people from all nations, cultures and social standings (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11) and makes them one in Christ. The

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award for outstanding bravery. The President of the United States presents this award in the name of Congress for those who performed “above and beyond the call of duty.” Most servicemen have agreed that being awarded this medal has influenced and even changed their lives. One reason for this is that the general public is aware of them. These folks represent the people they serve and that for which the medal stands. The Christian has a medal of honor to wear; it is the name of Christ. We profess to follow Jesus and to be servants of the Lord. The apostle Paul prayed, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). Paul also urged Christians to be “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:” (Colossians 1:11-12). This is being fruitful in the Lord. Our conduct and lifestyle must be guided by the Lord and not by the expectations of others or ourselves. The Lord has redeemed us, called us by the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14), and given to us His name! That is quite an honor, isn’t it? Nothing is more honourable than to wear the precious, lovely name of Jesus Christ.

I have donated blood often in my life. I know some are afraid of needles and don’t donate at all, however, blood is always in demand. Often we hear that the Red Cross or United Blood Services is in short supply of blood because of a large-scale crisis or because not enough blood has been donated. Sometimes, the Red Cross will give out statistics on blood and blood types to read while one gives blood. Here are some percentages of those who have different blood types. O Positive 39%A Positive 34%A Negative 7%B Negative 2%AB Negative 0.5%Unknown 17.5 % AB Negative is the rarest of all blood types with only 0.5% of the population having this blood type. The blood collectors love to see me in the blood bank. Why? I happen to be AB Negative. Yet, in an emergency, AB Negative is not there when it is needed. We read in 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” It was the death of Christ, the shedding of His blood, that satisfied the demand of a holy God as restitution for our sins (Hebrews 9:12-22). So now, whenever someone obeys the plan of salvation (faith or belief, repentance, confession and baptism), that person obtains salvation by the blood of Christ. Jesus gives us salvation when He takes away our sins. I am so

The account of the crossing of the Red Sea is found in Exodus 14 and 15. Can you imagine the worship service the Israelites had when they crossed safely over the Red Sea? The children of Israel had seen God’s awesome power first-hand and had been delivered from the Egyptian host. They had just seen God save them from a watery grave, a death that seemed to be certain. The Israelites were blocked on one side by the Red Sea and the approaching armies of Pharaoh were on the other side. Relentlessly, the armies in their chariots had chased them down (Exodus 14:5-9). The Israelites cried out for help in their desperation (v. 10). The situation seemed hopeless. The Lord parted the waters, allowing the people to cross (v. 16, 21-22). However, when the Egyptians rode onto the dry seabed, God caused the water to crash in on them (v. 28). That is when the celebration started! With great joy, the people praised God for His strength and salvation (Exodus 15:2), His great power (v. 6), His greatness (v. 7), His holiness (v. 11), His mercy, guidance and redemption (v. 13), and His everlasting reign over them (v. 18). In praise, love and adoration, they poured their hearts out to the God of their deliverance. Did you notice the many attributes for which Israel praised God? Now think about why we praise God in our lives and what He has done for us. We are to honor Him in our

Where we turn in times of trouble and trial says a lot about our character. It shows who we really are and the thoughts of our heart. Think about it. We see young children who have trouble, and they turn to guns, gangs and drugs. We see adults who turn to alcohol and drugs, illicit relationships or maybe cults. What about ourselves? When we have trouble with a relationship, where do we turn? Do we turn to God in our prayers for help and direction? Do we turn to the Bible for His wisdom in our lives? What about when we struggle with temptation or sin? Where do we turn? We turn to Jesus Christ our Lord Who is the Master and Who is willing to forgive us as we repent and confess. We turn to our Lord Jesus who is able to strengthen us in the power of His might. We turn to the Scriptures for help that cannot fail us. Or, do we turn to the darkness of the world to sustain and help us? Do we turn down the road that leads to death and destruction? We read in 1 Peter 5:10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” We see where we can turn during days of trouble and trial. We need to look on God who is gracious to us, and

Have you ever just sat and watched a grandfather clock? (I know. Watching paint dry is more fun.) Yet, it can be a bit relaxing to watch the pendulum swing back and forth as it ticks off the seconds with amazing accuracy. Clocks like this are well-oiled machines of precision. Under the pull of gravity it swings from one extreme to the other. Consider the fixed point from which it hangs. It gives the pendulum the control to convert its motion into useful energy. In Numbers 14:39, we read of how Israel was like a pendulum as the nation went from the far left to the far right, but it had no control nor did Israel have stability. The fixed point was supposed to be God Himself, but that connection was lost through apostasy. After spying out the “land flowing with milk and honey,” Joshua made a challenge to the Israelites to obey God and go through with the invasion. Instead, they listened to the fearful report of the ten spies and stayed where they were (Numbers 13:26-14:38). After this, they were judged by God and rushed ahead without God’s approval (14:40). We often do the same thing. Sometimes, we are afraid to move forward in our faith. At other times, we rely too much on ourselves and make rash decisions without seeking God’s wisdom and direction for us. Jesus was both fully divine and fully human. He had a full range of emotions just as we do (Mark 14:34;

Many years ago, scientists believed that the vertebrate with the shortest lifespan was the turquoise killifish. This fish is very small and lives in seasonal rain pools in equatorial Africa, and it must complete its lifecycle in 12 weeks before the pools evaporate for the year. Not much time for a life, is it? More recently, researchers from James Cook University in Australia discovered that the pygmy goby has a lifespan that is even shorter than that. You might say that this fish “lives fast and dies young.” This little fish (about the size of your thumbnail) lives in coral reefs for an average of almost 60 days. Fortunately, it has a rapid reproductive cycle that is designed to help it avoid extinction. Our lives seem to go by so fast. Even to those who live to be 100, it seems like childhood was just yesterday. One of the questions that philosophers of old asked was, “What is the point of a life that goes so fast and ends so quickly?” One of the wisest men who ever lived, Solomon, the third king of Israel, wandered from God. He became spiritually disoriented; Solomon lost his sense of direction and purpose in life. He looked upon all his many accomplishments and found them to be worthless, until he remembered God. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall

Once there were some fishermen who set out from Texas into the Gulf of Mexico. Using the compass on the boat, they left port and headed out about 50 miles to sea into the deep waters where they hoped to catch Bluefin Tuna. When they believed they were right upon the spot they needed to be, they turned on the depth finder and saw that they were well off-course and away from where they wanted to be. One of the fishermen had discovered that a device with a magnet was near the compass, and the magnet affected the reading of the compass. We know from elementary school that magnets can change a compass. Just as this is true, sin in our lives can change our thinking. In John 7:41-42, we see that many of the Jews believed they were going in the right direction by denying that Christ was the Messiah. “Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” However, what was the real issue? Some of the people and religious leaders had a heart problem because they were biased. They denied and resisted Jesus because He was threatening to their power structure and traditions. Surely, they would have thought to examine all the Scriptures and verify Jesus’ identity. Yet, they decided to hold on to what they believed. The

In Acts 16:25-34, Paul and Silas were in trouble. They were deep in prison in the strange city of Philippi far away, yet they were able to sing in terrible circumstances. How could they do this? They were risking their lives to preach Christ to those people who resented them and gave bitter opposition to the Gospel message. Lies were spread about their work by men with selfish motives. These same men demanded their arrest. The town officials ordered them to be beaten and thrown into prison. The Bible tells us, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25). We also see that the Philippian Jailer and his family obeyed the Gospel during this time in the same hour (Acts 16:30-33). It was under such conditions that Paul and Silas were singing. Can we believe that after all of this they were singing? Why? The answer is simple and clear. They could sing in the dark because they were doing what God wanted them to do. There is a special bird in God’s creation that we call the nightingale. A peculiar thing about this creature is that it continues to sing long after the sun has set. Most other birds have gone silent until the next morning, but not the nightingale. His melodies soar long after sunset. His song is not silenced by darkness and night. Why then does the nightingale sing at night? Well, that is exactly what

A sailor on a fishing vessel in the Pacific Ocean found himself in a very precarious situation – he was swimming with the sharks! Of course this wasn’t by choice. He was hired to process fish, but the captain had a temper problem. One day, a school of sharks was following the ship, and in a fit of rage, the captain seized the slow-working crewman and threw him overboard. The poor man swam as fast as he could, caught up with the boat, and was pulled back on board. Oftentimes, we are swimming in dangerous waters as Christians. Sometimes we are thrown into a situation where the ungodly are “swimming” all around us. It could be at a business meeting, convention, a college dorm, vacation, etc. – and the temptation seems overwhelming. We are in a lot of danger. Spiritually speaking, we are shark bait. When that happens, our best option is do what the apostle Paul instructed Timothy to do. “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). We are to flee them! That may mean that we are to get up and walk away from the situation as fast as possible. This is what Joseph had to do. Notice what he did when confronted with temptation. “And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out” (Genesis

People who loved Jesus beyond measure asked Him two of the most amazing questions recorded in the New Testament. When a powerful storm threatened to capsize their boat in the Sea of Galilee, the disciples asked the question, “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” (Mark 4:38 ESV). On another occasion, Mary was relaxed and listening to Jesus, and a stressed-out Martha came from the kitchen and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (Luke 10:40). Both questions were asked by people who had been with Jesus prior to these events. They had listened to His teaching and had seen His miracles and the power of God at work. They fully expected the Lord to step in to relieve their anxiety. It seemed that the Lord was ignoring their situation, and we can tell that there was some exasperation and weariness added to their questions: “Don’t you care about us?” or “Don’t you care about me?” It is difficult to judge the tone of Jesus’ reply in these passages. It seems that Jesus did use a tone of caring, gentleness and love. Notice the Master’s response: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40). “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things…” (Luke 10:41). Often, we feel overwhelmed and utterly

I once read the story of a man by the name of Joe who stopped outside of Montgomery, Alabama for gas. He got back in his car and drove for five hours before noticing that something wasn’t quite right. Then, he realized just what it was; he had left someone behind—his wife! Now, keep in mind this incident happened before cell phones were in wide use. So, Joe went to the next town and asked the local police to help him get in touch with her. Joe was rightfully embarrassed. What could have happened to him that he would leave his wife behind? He admitted that he just didn’t notice she was gone. We don’t understand how something like this could happen, but we hear stories from time to time of similar things happening, especially where children are concerned. However, we are not much different in our relationship with God. We fail to remember that the One who created us is the One who redeemed us. Israel was just like this during the wilderness wandering. Notice what was said in Deuteronomy 6:1-12. So how, then, do we acknowledge God and keep him in our minds? Just the way Israel of old did throughout each day. Sometimes God can seem so far away, but He didn’t move away, we did! The warning for the Israelites is the same for His church today. Deuteronomy 6:12 says, “then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of

Have you ever had a dream where you were falling down from a great height? It is said that those who are afraid of high places (which I am) have had some kind of dream like that somewhere along the line of life. Many times when we have a dream such as that, we awake very suddenly, and then have a feeling of dread or terror. Usually this only happens with children, but it can happen with adults, too. I read once about a man who had this sensation as soon as he went to sleep. His sleep was so rudely interrupted that he was afraid to go back to sleep. He feared he would die, and he imagined himself falling into a bottomless pit. Then one evening as he was strolling through a cemetery, he saw this phrase engraved on a tombstone: “I have no fear or dread, Underneath are the Everlasting Arms of God.” These words reminded him that when Christians die, they are safely in the arms of the Living God (just like when we are alive). He recalled the assurance of the psalmist, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4). Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” We are assured that when we are falling, or we when feel like we are falling, the Lord catches us and shelters us with

“And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Master; it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias’” (Mark 9:5). Where are you right now? The place we now occupy is either a good or a bad place. Usually the place where we live and serve is by choice. However, there are a few exceptions where someone may be forced into someplace by circumstances. However, wherever you find yourself, it can be transformed into a place of usefulness and joy by the presence of Jesus. It is His presence and companionship that makes the difference. In Mark 9:5, we see Jesus, Peter and John on the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus was transfigured; most likely this was Mount Hermon. When Jesus was transfigured with radiant, shining garments of white, Elijah and Moses appeared with Him. Peter, in his excitement, said that the place was good where they were and desired to build tabernacles (tents of meeting). Indeed, it was a good place to be. It is good to be where Jesus is. With Him, we have a sense of security, and we are closer to heaven’s glory with Him. We are in great fellowship with other believers because of Christ. It is good to be above the lower things in life so that we may have a proper evaluation of things, and that enables us to reinforce our convictions on certain issues. It is good

We are free from the power of sin, as Paul taught in Romans 6. We are also free from the power of the law, as he went on to tell us in Chapter 7. The context is found in Romans 7:1-6 where Paul used an example from the field of law in general. He picked his example very carefully because he wanted to bring out two points – that we are set free from a law relationship and that we are free to enter into a new relationship. So here it is. Verse 1: Law can apply only to people when they are alive. Verse 2: The law for marriage ceases to be in force when one of the marriage partners has died. Verse 3: As long as one’s spouse is living, a person breaks the law when he gives himself to another. However, after the death of one’s partner, this law no longer applies. In verse 4 is the application. Romans 7:4 says, “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” With our death “through the body of Christ,” we are no longer under the law but ready for a new relationship. We are going to be married to Christ by His Spirit. This is the new covenant. This seems an elaborate way of making a point, and while Paul gave his example about

There was a young woman in her early thirties who was a wife and a mother. She was very dedicated to her family and a Christian worker. Yet inside, she found herself in a bad way. She was beginning to take a trip downward. She was heading for a certain kind of breakdown that some of us experience in life: the breakdown of her stubbornness and self-sufficiency. This woman had experienced some unexpected downturns in her life. She realized she couldn’t handle everything alone like she thought. Finally, she hit the bottom—the rock-bottom of it all. It turns out that she understood that there was a relief to this experience in the form of Christ. Jesus Christ was the rock on which she hit bottom. Being cast upon Christ, and casting all her cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7), she began to rebuild her life. She rebuilt herself as someone who was dependent upon God, rather than the person she had been. Hitting rock-bottom was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to her, and to us. Most people don’t realize how much they need the Savior until they have hit rock-bottom. It becomes a vital turning point in our spiritual development. Most people do not feel so spiritual when they hit the bottom. Some even become more miserable when they see Christians who are supposed to care but in reality take a very narrow and shortsighted view of the difficulties that the sufferer is having and why he

Recently, I began to think about the old console television sets my family used to own. My grandmother Vickers had an old console set where you actually had to push buttons to change the channel along with a couple of silver knobs. Now, I have no idea what happened to that set, but many TV sets like it had an antenna that you had to adjust to bring in a clearer picture. It took a bit to get it just right, and then you hoped it stayed that way. One question with which we are sometimes faced is, “What is the meaning of life?” How would you answer that? Jonathan Garby of England published a book many years ago that contained answers of well-known individuals to that question. One of them, who was a church leader, gave a good answer. As a child, he says, he watched his family’s black and white TV, wishing they could get a clearer picture, but he was thankful they had that subpar set anyway. Then his family learned that an outside antenna was needed. “Suddenly,” he said, “We found that we could get clear and even distant pictures. Our enjoyment was increased.” Then he draws the comparison: “Life without a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is like a television without the antenna.” Without knowledge of God and the revelation of His purposes in Scripture and in Christ Jesus, we humans have at best a blurry picture of the invisible, holy Creator. However, when

Abram’s nephew was in a lot of trouble. In roughly 2084 B.C., the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot lived, had been overtaken by a group of warlike kings. They sacked Sodom, captured Lot and his household, and then fled north. In Abram’s era, most cities had their own kings. Wars and rivalries among kings were common during this time. A conquered city paid tribute to the victorious king. In Genesis 14:1-24, we see that Chedorlaomer was apparently quite a powerful king. Nothing really is known about him except what we read in the Bible. Five cities including Sodom had paid tribute to him for over twelve years. The five cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela (Zoar) formed an alliance and rebelled by withholding tribute. Chedorlaomer reacted swiftly and conquered them all. When he defeated Sodom, he captured Lot, his family and his possessions. Abram, with only 318 men, chased Chedorlaomer’s army and attacked it near Damascus. With God’s help, he gave chase and rescued Lot, his family and their possessions. What happened after that was even more incredible. Melchizedek, the King of Salem (Jerusalem), visited Abram to congratulate him and pronounce a blessing on him in the name of “God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19). This was unheard of. In those days, people invoked the names of Baal and other false local deities. So, what was so remarkable about this? Abram, who was just learning to trust in the God who created

Every day for 20 years, Michael wrote a love poem to his wife. At a divorce hearing, though, he revealed that he didn’t compose these verses to celebrate the joys of marriage, but to pacify his domineering wife. The judge granted the divorce and declared that the marriage had nothing more than the “appearance of love.” Relationships among some Christians often undergo a similar kind of breakdown. Long-hidden resentment when buried for so long can and often does come to the surface. Pretenses then go away. A spouse leaves after years of a supposedly happy marriage, saying he or she is tired of putting up a front and going through the motions. I have known people like this in my lifetime. In 1 John 3:18 we read, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” Cain’s love for his brother Abel covered a simmering jealousy that eventually broke out in anger. First John 3:12 states, “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” What did Cain do? We all know the end to that story (Genesis 4:8). He killed his brother Abel when God accepted Abel’s offering and not his offering (Genesis 4:1-16). Surely, there was no love in Cain’s heart for his own brother. Romans 12:9 (ASV) tells us, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil;

We live in a world that is constantly plagued by fear. It is very easy for us to fear especially the unknown. Someone once said that the unknown is only that which is temporarily hidden. At other times we fear illness, poverty, family disruption, war, famine and the future. For those who place their trust in the Lord, however, it’s different, because those who do so are in the hands of an omniscient, omnipotent, heavenly Father. They can face with confidence any difficult situation that comes along. Psalm 56:1-13 was written by David when the Philistines captured him in Gath. This was likely written on the same occasion as Psalm 34, when David fled from Saul to Philistine territory. He had to pretend insanity before Achish when some servants grew suspicious of him (1 Samuel 21:10-15). Yet, if you notice Psalm 56:3, David made a very simple but concise statement, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” David stated in this Psalm, “What can flesh do to me?” How much harm can people do to us? They can inflict pain, suffering and death, but no person can rob us of our souls or our future beyond this life. How much harm can we do to ourselves? The worst thing we can do is to reject God and lose our eternal future with Him. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). Instead, we should fear God, who controls

Let’s begin today with a few numbers. As of the time of this writing, the U.S. National Debt is $16,658,047,122,041, and by 2017, this number will have jumped at the current rate to over $22 trillion. The U.S. Total Debt is $58,221,519,401,846. Every year, some US citizens make donations to help reduce the over $16 trillion national debt. Since the government began to accept gifts for that purpose in 1961, almost $100 million has been given. That is a lot of money, but it does nothing to scratch the surface of the level of debt in this nation. How much is $16 trillion? Think about it like this: The population of the United States is about 310 million. If we could collect $53,056 from every man, woman and child alive in the United States today, we could pay off our current debt. Or, how about this: According to United Nations estimates, there are approximately 7 billion people alive in the world today. If we could collect about $2,000 from each of them (every man, woman and child in the world), we’d still be about $2 trillion short. It would take approximately $2,350 per person to cover the entire current debt. Or put another way, scientists have estimated the total number of human beings born since the beginning of time at approximately 106 billion. If we had about $155 for every person ever born, we’d have just enough to pay off our national debt. Or, in terms of real estate, the total value

In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul exhorted the Corinthian church to purity of life and showed the source of his comfort in afflictions. He began the chapter by calling them “beloved” and finished by rejoicing over his confidence in them. How could he honestly say those things, considering that the rest of the chapter is about their sins about which he had sternly confronted them in his first epistle (1 Corinthians 5)? He could commend them because they had responded with godly sorrow. They had sincerely repented, and now their state was completely clean. Many of us as Christians find it difficult to accept God’s forgiveness for our sins and to feel forgiven. We tell others about the love and forgiveness that Jesus offers, yet the hardest thing for us to do, it seems, is to receive that same love and forgiveness. After we’ve done something wrong, it’s not unusual to feel sorry about it. Yet, if we merely regret the consequences and don’t genuinely repent and accept God’s forgiveness, we have nothing more than sorrow as the world does. Second Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow [sorrow according to the will of God – JRV] worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” This “godly sorrow” manifests itself by repentance and divine grace. The “sorrow of the world” brings death because, instead of being God-centered sorrow over the wickedness of sin, it is self-centered sorrow over the painful consequences of sin.

In Acts 17, Paul went to Mars Hill to declare the truth of the resurrection. There were many listeners who gathered who were not spiritually minded. Luke, who wrote the Book of Acts by inspiration, recorded that they spent their days simply wanting to discuss the latest new ideas with little interest in action on what they learned (v. 21). Too much information can be dangerous. All the ideas can blur together and become incoherent, leaving us unchanged by what we know. Centuries ago, the historian Plutarch (ca. 46 – 120 A.D.) warned of the danger of living on a purely informational level. He wisely said, “The mind is not a jar to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” The two disciples on the road to Emmaus would have agreed (Luke 24:13-32). They grieved the death of Jesus, but the risen Christ Himself joined them, yet He hid His identity. He began instructing them on the ancient prophecies of those events found throughout the Old Testament. Later that day, Christ revealed Himself to them and then departed. After His departure, they marveled at what they had heard. The things taught were not sterile facts, but a fire that burned within them with devotion for the Lord. We are told in Luke 24:32 “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” Until we have a fire burning within our hearts, we cannot start a